When we expect certain behaviors of others, we are likely to act in ways that make the expected behavior more likely to occur.
– Robert Rosenthal and Elisha Babad
Employees generally rise to our expectations of them. This is known as the self-fulfilling prophecy or Pygmalion Effect. It’s true because we treat people a certain way based on our expectations of them. It comes out in our communication and attitude.
When your employee’s performance fails, do you view him as a problem OR as an undeveloped asset with potential? Often, employees fail because managers create a negative self-fulfilling prophecy.
If you treat people the way they are, they get worse.
Treat people the way they might be and they get better.
Change your perspective and see what happens!
About the Author
Robert Tanner is the founder of the Management is a Journey Blog and Principal Consultant at Business Consulting Solutions LLC. He is a certified change management consultant, management mentor, trainer, and an Adjunct Professor of Management. Robert has a passion for helping managers and leaders fulfill their potential. Connect with Robert on Google+ and Twitter. To join the mailing list, subscribe here.
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Interesting post and perspective. I agree with this, but I’ll admit that I agree only to a point. I think that there are those times where there might be a clash in style between an employer and employee. If the style works for the overwhelming majority, it might be the fault of the employer but it just might be the fault of the employee as well. I have my own little case study but I’m trying to keep this under 100 words. lol
Mitch,
Great to hear from you and thanks for leaving a comment! I do not see any real inconsistency in what you said and my post. You are correct that there will be some occasions when the problem lies with the employee, and there are some employees who will not work out despite a manager’s best efforts. My main point here is that when managers start first from a positive place in working with their employees with challenges, they’ll find that most of their employees will respond the same way.
They’ll be some exceptions like what you have described (and I have had some of my own too), but I see more often that most employee problems result from ineffective management and leadership in an organization. In my work I find that many managers/leaders often start from a negative place when their employees have problems. As I work with them, they come to see that much of what they are experiencing from their employees is a reaction to the managers/leaders own ineffective practices. They may not understand their employees, communicate with them properly, delegate effectively, etc.
So, I tell them to start positive and let the employee determine his own fate and more often than not, he will turn around. But, every rule and practice has its exception as you indicated.
Regards,
Robert